I joined the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board team as a wildlife biologist in September 2017. I am working on management policies of various marine species with a focus on ringed seal, polar bears, migratory birds and fisheries.

As a graduate student, I worked on the impacts of changing sea ice conditions on the reproduction and migration of eider ducks breeding in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. Through these projects, I worked closely with the communities of Salliq and Kinngait in Nunavut. I developed an increasing interest for the role of Inuit knowledge for wildlife and biology conservation, and for collaborative work engaging Inuit knowledge, science and policy. Involving youth in different opportunities related to wildlife and environmental research and monitoring projects also occupied an important place in my work.

 

Academic background: MSc in Wildlife and Habitat Management (Université du Québec à Rimouski; UQAR); Graduate Diploma in Wildlife and Habitat Management (UQAR); BSc in Geography (UQAR)
Contact information: [email protected]

 

The Wildlife Biologist supports the Executive Director and the Wildlife Management Director in carrying out the activities of the NMRWB.

 

As the director of wildlife management with the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board, I work on conservation and management policy on a wide diversity of species including shrimp, migratory birds, beluga, polar bears, and bowhead whales.

My graduate work focused on the spatial ecology of a small population of caribou in southeastern Manitoba. Through this project I became aware of and interested in the important connections between caribou and the history and future of many Indigenous people. After finishing my thesis I began work with the Health, Environment, and Indigenous Communities Research Group at Trent University. Working together with Inuit elders and knowledge holders, we developed projects focused on Inuit Knowledge of wildlife as it relates to conservation, Inuit culture, lifestyle, and economy.

My work with the Board began in February 2016 as a wildlife biologist, and I’ve enjoyed the consistent challenges, the diverse nature of the work and learning from Nunavimmiut. It has been a true privilege working with some of the world’s most amazing wildlife species, and with the people who best know and understand them. For me, the most rewarding (and challenging) part of working with the NMRWB is collaborating with co-management partners to develop creative wildlife conservation and management solutions which honour the traditions and rights of Nunavik Inuit.

 

Past and current research projects: Habitat selection of woodland caribou on a managed landscape: The Owl Flintstone Herd; Torngat Mountains Caribou Herd Inuit Knowledge; Culture, and Values Study; Nunavik Inuit Knowledge Polar Bear Study
Project locations: Manitoba; Region of Nunavik; Nain, Nunatsiavut
Academic background: MSc in Environmental and Life Sciences (Trent University); BSc in Conservation Biology (Trent University)
Contact information: [email protected]

 

The Director of Wildlife Management oversees all aspects of wildlife management including: review of scientific and technical submissions to the Board; providing scientific/technical advice to the Board; and directing and administering the NMRWB wildlife research responsibilities.  The Director is also responsible for the management of the NMR Wildlife Research Fund (NMRWRF), as well as being the main person designated by the NMRWB to act on its behalf on various wildlife management committees and organizations.